Apparatus for separating and grading grain.



PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906 J. P. DELANY. I APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND GRADING GRAIN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15

OOOOOOUOOOOOO OOOOOOQOOOOOO UOOOOOO aswenfoz i'msrrnn JOHN F. DELANY, OF UOLONA erarron, itninoi-s.

APPARATUS F'QQ S ZZE AQAATENQ A5155? GRI ADENG GRAIN.

T (ZZZ whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN F. DELANY, of Colona Station, in the county of Henry and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating and Grading Grain; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

is invention is a novel apparatus for separating and grading grain and other mate rials, being particularly designed for separating perfect seed-corn from imperfect and im mature grains in mass. The device, as shown, is adapted to be operated by hand much like an ordinary si'eve and, as shown, comprises in brief two pan-shaped members of similar size, each having a perforated or screening bottom, one member having round perforations of suitablesize to permit the escape of grains, &c., smaller than those desired for seed, while the other pan has oblong perforations which'will admit the passage of grains suitable in size and shape for seed and will retain all large imperfectly-formed grains that are unsuitable for seed. In both screens the perforations are conoidal, being larger at their inner ends than at their outer ends, the sloping sides of the-perforations being preferably formed by punching or stamping the sheet metal of which the screens are preferably made, so that the openings are funnelshaped, and their inner sloping sides increase their capacity and prevent irregular-shaped grains from becoming wedged in the open ings. One of the members is provided with handles at each end, one of the handles forming part of the hinge connection of the other member therewith, and the other handle forming part of the device for preventing lat eral displacement of the members when the apparatus is closed, as hereinafter described.

The members will fit together neatly and form closures for each other, and the hand of the operator will hold the sieve closed when in operation.

The accompanying drawings show the present preferred form. of the device when intended for manual operation, Figure 1 being a top plan view of the apparatus closed and with the upper or screening sieve partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof closed in full lines and partly open in dotted lines.

Fig. IS an enlarged longitudinal section through the apparatus on line 3 3, Fig. 1,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 15, 1905.

Patented. June 12, 1906. Serial No. 287.509.

partly broken and showing the device partly opened by dotted lines. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan viewof part ofthe gradingscreen. 5 is a longitudinal section on line 5 5, Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 a transverse section online 6 6, Fig. 4, to show more clearly the form of the openir. gs in the gradingscreen..

The apparatus comprises two pan-shaped members A B. The former I term. herein a separating-screen and the latter a grading-screen. These members are preferably formed of sheet metal. The bottom of memb er A is provided with numerous perforations a, which are preferably conoidal-shaped and formed by stamping the metal bottom of member A so that the openings are surrounded on the inner side by coneavities a and on the outer side by colloidal-shaped projection a. The object of this formation is to' cause the grain to pocket in the holes and directly pass therethrcugh, if small enough, without wedging thcrcin,'or if too large they will readily pass out; but the concavities will naturally direct the grain to the openings as the screen is shaken and lessen the tendency of the grain to slide over and past theopcnings, and in practice I find that such a screen has far greater capacity than a flat-surfaced perforated screen and is less liable to clog and can be more readily cleaned.

The member B has a series of oblong porforations b in its bottom, which are surrounded on the inside by oblong concavities l) and on the outside by oblong projections 5 so that the openings are approximately oblong funnels and are adapted to facilitate the separation of the grain, like the openings in member A. The openings 2), moreover, are arranged lengthwise transversely of member A, so as to facilitate the engagement of perfect grains therewith when the appa ratus is vibrated longitudinally. Member A is provided with handles C/which may be made of sheet metal riveted to the ends of member A, as shown, and provided with enlarged handholds c for the convenience of the operator.

Member A is hinged at one end to member B, as shown at I), so that tbc two members may be opened or closed upon each other. At its free end member B is provided with a hand-piece E, which when the members are closed, as in Figs. 1. and 3,, 'lits against the handle C and will be naturally grasped by the hand of the operator in manipulatin the apparatus, and the two members respectively form closures for each other. The handpiece E is provided with a tongue 6, adapted to project through an aperture in the adj acent handle C. when the members are closed, and thus center the members accurately on each other and prevent lateral displacement thereof while in operation.

' Operation: The apparatus is opened by placing it on the floor or other support with member A lowermost. Then member B is raised and a sufficient amount of seed-corn placed n member A. Then inember'B is lowered and closed upon member A, and the. operator shakes them-until all the small imperfect'grains and; im uritiesfhave passed out through the openings. Then, without necessarily opening the apparatus, it 1s turned 0v er so member B is lowermostand shaken tc sieve out the perfect seed-corn from the larger and imperfect grains which are retained in the apparatus. Then the sieves may be opened, the imperfectlarge grains discharged, and the operations repeated on another quantity of grain, and so on until the desired amount of seed has been graded and separated.

The apparatus is simple in construction, practical and eiiicient in operation, and convenient to handle, and owin to the funnelshaped openings in the mom ers the screen-. ing is effected with rapidity and ease and without clogging. The round perforations in screen 'A'ure of slightly-greater.diameter than the narrow diameter of the long perforations in screen B. too narrow to be desirable for seed escape through the p erforations in screen A, as well as other imperfect kernels. As an example of size the perforations a, may be about fivesixteen the of an inch in diameter; but I do not wish to confine myself to any exact size, as different grains require different sizes of perforations. The oblong perforations in-screen B are intended. to separate the perfect seed from the larger imperfect kernels, these being graded by their thickness, the length of the opening being great' enough for any length of kernel. p

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. In a grain-sorting apparatus, the combination of a pair of pan-shaped screens,

adapted to form a closed'receptacle, said screens hailing conoidal or funnel-shaped openings or perforations, the perforations of one screen being elongated and larger than he perforations in the other, and means for fastening the screens together, substantially as described.

opening in said handleto prevent placement of the screens when closed, sub- The kernels that are its-bottom, an

2. In a grain-assorting apparatus, the combination of a pan-shaped member having conoidatshaped openings, and a similar 0 posed member having openings of larger iameter, one member forming the closure for the other and adapted to beused succes-. sively, substantially as described. l 3. In a grain-sortin apparatus, the combination of a pan-s aped screen having conoidal or funnel-shaped perforations in its bottom, and handlesattached to its ends;

with a similar,- but opposite screen having perforations of lar end to one end of t e first screen, andha'vmga hand-piece on its other end adapted to fit against .the,adja'cent handle. on 'the first screen when closed thereagainst, and proer size and hinged at one vided-with: a finger adapted to engage an stantially as described.

4; Thecombination in a grain separating' apparatus adapted to be held. in and operated lateral disby the hands, of a pan-like member having circular openings'or perforations in its bot- 1 tom; with a. similar opposed pan-like member-having elongated perforatlons in its bot-, tom larger than the perforations in the first member and connectedto said first member, I so as to form a closed recieptacle, substan-- tially as and forthe purpose described,

5. The combinati n in afgrain-separating apparatus adapted tiibe held in and operated by the hands, "of a pan-like member havingoutwardly-' rejecting funnel-shaped open-. ings in its otto'm, and handles'attached to the ends of said member; posed member'having outwardly-projecting openings at larger size, and bin ed to, said first member so as to form a close receptacle therewith, said members being usable successively, substantially as described.

6. In a grain-sorting apparatua the combination of a screen having perforated-prowithfa similar optoo tuberances inits bottom, and handles attached to its ends; with a similar screen having perforated hinged at one end to-one end of the first screen, on its-other end' adapted to fit a ainst the handle on the first screen when t e screens are closed, said screens forming a closed'receptacle and adapted tobe used sudcessively, and means to. prevent'later'al displacement of 'the screens whenclosed, substantially as described." a

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as. n y own I affix 'my signature in presence of two witnesses.

In presence of-' Gno. E MERT, p Gnonen ALLEN.

rotuberances oflarger size in and having a hand-piece ion'n'r. DELA Y, 

